Blog

When it comes to starting a new business, most people focus on how they will win and achieve the American dream. But success isn’t something most new businesses experience. It’s important to be aware of entrepreneur mistakes. “The painful truth is that the majority of first-time entrepreneurs who launch a... Read more

Tax planning for the year ahead presents similar challenges to last year due to the unknown fate of the numerous tax extenders that expired at the end of 2014. These tax extenders, which include the mortgage insurance premium deduction and the sales tax deduction that allows taxpayers to deduct state... Read more

Owning a service business can be tough, and running a service business day-in and day-out can be even tougher. For many service business owners, building a service business stopped being fun a long time ago and somehow it mutated into a “job.” Here are 4 tips to help you scale your service... Read more

It used to be that you’d finish high school and quickly move in one of two directions…. …you either enrolled in a four-year college to work towards a degree, or you got a job right out of high school and never looked back. Enter the modern day, when more and... Read more

The Trinity of Management is a simplified concept of basic business management. Coined and trademarked by Ernesto Sirolli, it makes it relatively easy to get across the basics of business by creating a framework in which we can start the work of building a solid new business or expanding an existing... Read more

It’s never too early to start succession planning in a family business. Here’s a story… …From the moment the Yung Kee restaurant sold its first goose in Hong Kong, in the 1960s, its founder Kam Shui-fai groomed two of his sons for management roles. However he never had the time... Read more

Everyone deserves a break, especially those who work hard trying to a get a business off the ground. A recent survey found that three quarters (76%) of small business owners and entrepreneurs skip their holidays in order to keep their business running smoothly. But while there may never be a... Read more

Small businesses have a lot to manage, and often without a lot of resources to do so. The focus is on keeping the business running smoothly, pleasing customers, and making a profit. But in today’s digital world of non-stop news headlines reporting data breaches and fraud, making security a priority... Read more

Many business owners have the mistaken idea that retiring from their business will be a pretty simple process… …they’ll just find a buyer when they’re ready to retire and live off the proceeds of the sale for the rest of their lives. In an ideal world, this would be true.... Read more

Do your co-workers ever feel upset or angry in the workplace? Let’s look at the kind of feelings that can impact your work negatively and what kind of mental exercises can help you work around those feelings to keep your positive thinking alive. Recognize those bad feelings      ... Read more

Nothing mirrors your quality of life more than your thinking. By deciding to take a positive outlook on life, one can begin to discard a negative frame of mind and view life more positively, with the anticipation of opportunities and challenges ahead, instead of dwelling on barriers in life. Positive... Read more

Since its inception, the United States has always been considered “the land of opportunity” – a place where any individual with motivation and drive can have a successful small business. This notion still holds true today as 99 percent of all American companies are small businesses, according to Small Business... Read more

Taking your business from the start-up phase to becoming a medium-sized enterprise is a pivotal step for many entrepreneurs. If you are at this stage, congratulations! You have succeeded where many others have failed, and you are potentially on your way to becoming a very successful company. That said, there... Read more

With the right infrastructure, small businesses can not only survive, but thrive by giving employees parental leaves. For example, Becca Apfelstadt has a $3 million, 20-person company, treetree, that works with large corporate marketing departments. Her company expanded 10-fold after her first maternity leave three years ago. She credits the... Read more

Knowing how to effectively give positive feedback is a powerful tool to develop employee skills and talent. However, many leaders on the front lines, middle management, and upper tiers of organizations often overlook positive feedback and reinforcement, or are unsure or uncomfortable about giving it. Why Positive Feedback Is Important... Read more

Finding good staff members is consistently in the top three priorities for small business owners. It seems that business owners will tell you that this problem is worse in their country than any other.  Clearly that can’t be true, but it gives an indication of how serious the problem is.... Read more

What makes an excellent team?  Diversity, an entrepreneurial spirit, and ambition are some of the key ingredients of a successful team in any industry. Gathering talent from a variety of backgrounds can better ensure that all kinds of tasks get done by qualified people. Promoting a culture of creativity and... Read more

Developing strategy to succeed in business A recent survey, conducted by The High Center for Family Business at Elizabethtown College and the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry, found that 65% of family businesses do not have a strategic plan. Many businesses misuse the term strategy As leaders of businesses,... Read more

Getting closer to your goals, one day at a time requires some planning… But when it comes to our to-do lists, far too many of us become undisciplined yes-women and yes-men. We complete easy tasks as we attempt to feel productive, instead of actually being productive. In actuality, the tasks we... Read more

The Power of Drafting an Annual Business Plan ….If you want to grow, one of the most important steps is to develop a plan for growth — and then make planning an ongoing process of your company. Remember: You can’t reach a goal you haven’t set. It’s planning that’s important,  not... Read more

Nurturing clear strategies for growth Effective growth plans are built from a targeted strategy that builds sales and profit  by channel, customer, and product to identify what can be achieved. These plans are usually more realistic and will include a new customer or new product business pipeline to define potential... Read more

Hiring your first employee is a big step. You’ll want to make sure that you help your new hire to maximize their performance. We suggest following four steps that are simple, but time tested: 1. Set the right goals Goal setting is essential. It helps employees to prioritize their activities and... Read more

Entrepreneurs need to be effective team leaders… …..since no one can transform an idea into a product and a business without some help. Fortunately, team building is a skill that can be learned and practiced, for those willing to put in some effort. Take a look at this checklist as... Read more

Helping your business reach its goals for success is within your power. Boosting productivity and efficiency gives small businesses a competitive edge and can often mean the difference between thriving or barely hanging on. Though increasing efficiency can be hard at times, finding small ways to boost your team’s productivity... Read more